1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a head cleaning method and a head cleaning apparatus, and more particularly, to a head cleaning method and a head cleaning apparatus for wiping and cleaning a nozzle surface with a liquid absorbing body.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an inkjet recording apparatus which carries out image recording by ejecting very fine ink droplets from nozzles, if a recording operation is performed continuously, then ink in the form of a mist ejected from the nozzles adheres to and accumulates on the vicinity of the nozzles, and can give rise to nozzle blockages. Consequently, in an inkjet recording apparatus, cleaning of the nozzle surface is carried out periodically.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-205712 discloses, as a method for cleaning the nozzle surface, a method in which the nozzle surface is wiped with a blade and then the nozzle surface is further wiped with an ink absorbing body (wiping member).
However, in a method where a nozzle surface is wiped with an ink absorbing body as in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-205712, if the absorption capability of the ink absorbing body used is high, then ink is drawn out from the nozzles by the ink absorbing body and there is a possibility that small liquid droplets are left after the passage of the ink absorbing body (hereinafter, a phenomenon of this kind is called “wiping trace”).
If, on the other hand, the absorption capability of the ink absorbing body used is low, then the liquid droplets on the nozzle surface are not absorbed completely and there is a possibility that large liquid droplets are left on the nozzle surface (hereinafter, a phenomenon of this kind is called “wiping omission”).
Wiping traces or wiping omissions of this kind have an adverse effect on the flight of the liquid droplets ejected from the nozzles and cause deterioration of the image.
A conceivable method of avoiding this might be to wipe the nozzle surface using an ink absorbing body having an optimal absorption capability, but this is problematic in that it places restrictions on the choice of the ink absorbing body. Furthermore, depending on conditions such as the nozzle hole diameter and the resistance of the lyophobic film on the nozzle surface, there may not exist any ink absorbing body which fulfils the desired properties.